Illuminated cover plate



sept- 7, 1943- w. c. LlNTON ILLUMINATED COVER PLATE Filed Feb. 19, 1947 2 5 kflQ/Q Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUMINATED COVER PLATE William 0. Linton, Washington, 1). 0.

Application February 19, 1947, Serial No. 729,503

The present invention relates to illuminated cover plates for electrical outlets and the primary object of the invention is to provide a plate and illuminator therefor which may be more easily and conveniently applied to or removed from a standard electrical outlet.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode oi operation may be readily understood I have in the accompanying drawings set out an embodiment of the same.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an illuminated switch plate embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the plate as appliedto a standard electrical outlet.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the plate.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the plate showing the lamp housing thereof in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a detail front elevation of the plate, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the plate and the lamp housing when connected together. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the illuminated cover plate as applied to the conventional single toggle switch outlet, but of course it is to be understood that the cover plate may be used upon all standard electrical outlet boxes. The standard electrical outlet box I is suspended by means of the brackets 2 within a recess formed within the wall or other support 3. The switch arranged within the box I is controlled by means of knob 4 and supported within the box I by means of a plate 5. The bar or plate 5 is usually embedded within the wall 3 but at times the opposed ends thereof extend beyond the outer face of the wall 3 as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The cover plate 6 extends over the outlet box and its rear face lies flush with the outer face of the wall 3. The cover plate as herein shown is a little longer than that of the standard cover plates for electrical outlets for covering the outlet box and the adjacent portions of the wall which may have become jagged or disfigured around the recess formed therein. However, the standard set screws I are employed for attaching the cover plate 6 to the bar or plate 5 and this plate has the usual opening 8 therein through which passes the switch knob 4. The plate 6 has a depression 9 formed in the rear face thereof for accommodating the bar 5 and other projecting parts of the outlet box.

1 Claim. (Cl. 240-2) Formed within the plate 6 is also an opening II! which latter is at one side of the switch knob opening 8 or upon the switch plate adjacent the upper end thereof as herein shown. A lamp housing I2 is of a shape complementary to that of the opening it in order that the lamp housing may be inserted therethrough and be snugly fitted therein as is best illustrated in Fig. 4. Ihe yieldable side walls l3 of the lamp housing each has formed therewith a lug extension l4 whereas the end walls of the lamp casing have the flange projections l5 formed therewith. The lamp housing is formed with a cavity I6 in which may be housed a lamp and leak resistor (not shown) which latter are connected in series with the lead wires lTand the outer extremities of the lead wires I! are provided with the spade terminals l8 for connection with the terminals of the switch within the box I whereby the lamp and resistor are connected in series with the switch terminals but in parallel with the switch thereof whereby current may be supplied through the.

switch when the latter is in its closed position, but when the switch is off or in its opened position, the current will flow to the lamp within the housing l2 as is customaryin illuminators of this character. The opened end of the lamp housing may be closed by means .of a. fibre plate l9 seated within the recess 20 thereof and the lead wires I! extend through this fibre plate l9.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the lamp housing [2 and the lead wires 11 are one complete assembly unit whereby the terminals l8 may be at first connected to the terminal-s of the switch within the box I. Thereafter the lamp housing is inserted through the opening ll] of the plate 6 and connected thereto as best shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. After the lamp housing is so connected to the plate 6 the knob l is inserted in the opening 8 thereof and the screws 1 are employed for attaching the plate 6 to the bar 5 0f the outlet box.

Should the lamp housing be attached'to the cover plate 6 before connecting the lead wire IT to the terminals of the switch within the box I the cover plate would obstruct the view of the person installing the same and render it most diificult to so connect the lead wires unless the lead wires were made relatively long and in doing so there is usually not sufiicient space within the box I or that between the plate 6 and box I to accommodate such relatively long lead wires. From the present arrangement the lead wires I! may be substantially of the length as that illustrated in Fig. 3 and yet be readily placed between the switch box and the cover plate therefor.

When attaching the lamp housing to the plate 6 the same is inserted through the opening II) from the rear face thereof until the lugs M rest upon the outer face of the plate 6. The insertion of the lamp housing through the opening 10 is limited by the flanges l5 when the latter are seated upon the rear face of the plate 6. The yieldable side walls l3 of the lamp housing permit the lug M to readily pass through the opening ll] of the plate 6 and when once seated upon the outer face of the plate 6 will prevent the lamp housing from being moved inwardly of the plate unless some undue force is exerted upon the lamp housing, After the cover plate is installed over an electrical outlet as shown .in Fig. 2 the switch box usually prevents the lamp housing from being moved or forced inwardly through the plate, but the switch box cannot at all times be depended upon for preventing the inward movement of the lamp housing with respect to the plate 6 as in many cases the switch box is so embedded within the wall 3 as to leave a space between the rear end of the lamp housing I2 and any projecting parts of the switch casing I. The lamp housing is preferably molded of translucent materials and a recess 2| is molded within the inner face thereof whereby th rays of light from a lamp within the housing will be projected down over the plate 6 upon the knob 4 projecting therethrough. From the construction of this lamp housing only a very dim light can be observed through the dome-shaped portion thereof and yet a stronger light may be observed from the knob 4 all without causing any undue light within a dark room.

Number The plate 6 as herein shown is molded from opaque materials preferably of the design as shown so as to completely cover from view the electrical outlet and the lamp housing is molded from translucent materials of the same or different color from that of the cover plate.

I claim:

In a device of the character described comprising in combination a cover plate having an opening formed therethrough for receiving an electrical device, said cover plate having an elongated opening formed therethrough, a lamp housing assembly unit comprising a casing, a portion of the casing of said lamp housing being compatible in design with that of the elongated opening within said cover plate as to be inserted therethrough and snugly fit therein, whereby the rays of light from a lamp within said housing may emit therefrom and be projected towards the opening formed within said cover plate receiving the electrical device, laterally extending flanges formed with said lamp housing and engageable with one face of said cover plate, a pair of yieldable walls formed with said lamp housing and a knob formed with each of said walls for engagement with the opposed face of said cover plate.

WILLIAM C. LINTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Name Date Marriott et a1 Aug. 21, 1917 Field Oct. 28, 1941 record in the 

